1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a method for locating and characterizing potential explosive sites at an installation or at a forward logistics area. More particularly, this invention relates to a method for determining an actual separation distance between each potential explosive site and an associated exposed site. Further, this invention relates to a method for determining a required separation distance between each potential explosive site and their associated exposed site.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the past, there has not been a uniform set of criteria developed to effectively characterize potential explosive sites at a military installation, or at a forward logistics area. Without proper identification of these potential explosive sites, military and civilian personnel can be severely injured which may result in loss of life. Property damage can also be significant to nearby buildings and other facilities should an explosion occur at potential explosive sites which has not been accurately characterized.
Currently policy, regulations, and criteria developed and maintained by the Department of Defense with respect to the characterization of potential explosive sites are not completely automated. There have been efforts to automate subsets of documents relating to potential explosive sites at military installations. Installation maps and their associated data characterizing the facilities have been used with some automated siting applications. However, this usage employs a copy of installation data instead of using the data directly by fully integrating the data with the installation data. The copy of installation data has a high probability of being out dated which leads to serious errors often causing harm to property and injury and even death to individuals.
Site plans can be created for an installation which will identify potential explosive sites, but the site maps generally will conform with only a subset of the installation master plan. Explosion effects are not quantified. There is currently not available an existing application which creates and manages the administrative documents associated with an installation explosives safety program.
The present invention overcomes some of the difficulties of the past, including those mention above in that it comprises a method for creating and managing the administrative documents associated with a comprehensive, effective and highly efficient explosives safety program. In addition, the method of the present invention provides for a determination of the actual separation distance between each potential explosive site and an associated exposed site. Further, the method of the present invention provides for a determination of the required separation distance between each potential explosive site and its associated exposed site. When the actual separation distance is less than the required separation distance mitigation procedures or options are available to resolve a separation distance violation between a potential explosive site and an exposed site. The mitigation options available for the method of the present invention include: (1) a reduction in explosive material storage capacity for the potential explosive site; (2) a mitigation project for the potential explosive site; and (3) an engineering analysis of the potential explosive site. After a mitigation option is selected and completed the explosive safety siting method proceeds to determine the required PES-ES separation distance. When the actual separation distance is greater than the required separation distance for a potential explosive site-exposed site pair, the method proceeds to a step by which a site plan manager manages site plans to insure that required distances with respect to each PES-ES are maintained and thus safety standards are met.